The American Legacy Foundation is launching a three-year, $35 million matching grant program to support anti-tobacco movements across the country.

The foundation's Statewide Youth Movement Against Tobacco Use grants are available for the 46 states and six territories identified in the original settlement agreement between a coalition of attorneys general and tobacco manufacturers.

The grants will help new and existing statewide youth programs fight tobacco use. The grants -- which need to be matched by recipients -- will promote cooperation between youth groups, health agencies, education groups, volunteer efforts and private businesses.

The states are eligible for grants between $500,000 and $1 million per year for three years, if they've completed or at least started the Youth Tobacco Survey -- which documents attitudes and behaviors about youth tobacco use and exposure to tobacco advertising. Grant totals will be between $1.5 million and $3 million.

One-time planning grants are also available to states that haven't completed the survey. Those grants will range from $50,000 to $75,000.

The American Legacy Foundation was established in November 1998 as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement between the attorneys general and the tobacco industry. Its goals are to reduce youth tobacco use, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and decrease tobacco consumption in general.

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